Hampshire

The contemporary English wine movement began in Hampshire when in 1951, Major-General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones planted the country's first commercial vineyard in over a century. It was planted with Seyval Blanc but the county's viticulture is for now focused on exceptional sparkling wines (and increasingly good still wines in good vintages) made using the traditional trio of Champagne grapes: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Chalky soils along the North and South Downs are particularly prized sites for some of the country's finest vineyards.